‘Shazam!’ Director On Huge Fan Expectations & Backlash

Director David F. Sandberg posted to Twitter earlier today about how he expects backlash from fans when more is announced regarding his upcoming project, Shazam!

The Swedish director is unfamiliar with the expectations of large projects and storied characters, as his only feature films to date are Lights Out (2016) and Annabelle: Creation (2017). Fan expectations are something he’ll have to familiarize himself with quickly, as superhero films are abundant in modern cinema. They can garner huge expectations from millions of fans familiar with the source material. Shazam! is no different as its main character goes way back in the world of comics.

Originally known as Captain Marvel, the character got its start under publisher Fawcett Comics way back in 1939. This iteration of the character lasted for 14 years, before being canceled in 1953, when DC Comics filed a copyright infringement lawsuit claiming that the character was a copy of Superman. In 1972, DC licensed the character and returned him to publication. The character’s new adventures were published in a comic book titled Shazam!, leading many readers to believe the Captain Marvel’s new name was Shazam. The name would be officially changed in 2011.

Sandberg continued his thread as he speculated on fans thoughts on Shazam’s potential attire:

With the film to begin production in 2018, the director commented on the time leading up to the announcement of more details for his film:

Plot details on Shazam! remain under wraps with the only confirmed information regarding the New Line Cinema production produced in conjunction with Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment being that it will not feature Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) as the villain of the Billy Batson-centric film.

Source: David F. Sandberg